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March 23, 2013

Bernard Arnault

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, CEO since 1989

Why: The king of luxury keeps feeding our status cravings.

Louis Vuitton is the "it" brand in handbags today, which is a credit to -- and a bit of a headache for -- Arnault, whose family controls 46.5% of LVMH. So, the CEO plans to slow the growth of new LV stores to avoid diluting the brand's exclusivity.

It is typical of Arnault to put brand appeal ahead of short-term gain. Yet, in the past quarter-century, he has managed to nurture both, building an $86 billion luxury-goods empire that piles up profits. Louis Vuitton leather goods and Moët Hennessy wines and spirits still account for 75% of earnings, but he has been adding other labels like Bulgari to the mix.

A billionaire philanthropist who likes classical music and modern art, Arnault recently drew fire for seeking Belgian citizenship after France's Socialist government tried to raise the top income-tax rate to 75%. Belgium is balking, but he has made his point.

-- Vito J.Racanelli

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton Annualized Total Return

One Year

4.6%

While CEO

11.3%

S&P 500

8.9%

2013 P/E

17.2

5-Yr. Profit Growth

11.0%

Jeff Bezos

Amazon.com, CEO since 1994

Why: He changed the way people shop and read.

Bezos belongs in an exclusive club, along with Steve Jobs and Google's Larry Page and Sergey Brin, because he created one of the most innovative and disruptive companies of the past 20 years.

As the top Internet retailer and developer of the Kindle, Amazon has helped change the way people shop and read. Obsessed with customer satisfaction, Bezos has developed services like Amazon Prime, giving customers free two-day shipping for $79 a year. He then added streaming video at no extra charge.

Bezos, 49, is a dreamer, and he has the money to fund his dreams, including manned space travel and a massive $42 million clock on his Texas ranch.

Perhaps Bezos' biggest challenge lies ahead: making a lot of money. Amazon's earnings have fallen in recent years as it has sacrificed profits for growth. Wall Street may get impatient.

-- Andrew Bary

Amazon.com Annualized Total Return

Annualized Total Return

One Year

47.1%

While CEO

38.8%

S&P 500

5.6%

2013 P/E

179.3

5-Yr. Profit Growth

5.2%

Carlos Brito

Anheuser-Busch InBev, CEO since 2005

Why: Built a beer behemoth that generates champagne-like returns.

Through aggressive acquisitions, effective cost-cutting, and shrewd brand-building, Brito, 53, turned a small Brazilian brewer into the world's dominant beer company, with a $155 billion market value. Along the way, he made Budweiser the leading premium brand in China.

Brito's thirst is unslaked. After buying Anheuser-Busch for $55 billion in 2008, he is seeking full control of Grupo Modelo, Mexico's largest brewer.

He favors an informal corporate culture and works at a table surrounded by his top managers. "Great people like open environments. Mediocre people like sitting behind closed doors," he says.

At business schools, he extols his meritocratic management philosophy. "If you can't please everyone, please the most talented people," he says. Brito is entitled to a beer. His favorite: Bud.

-- AB

Anheuser-Busch InBev Annualized Total Return

Annualized Total Return

One Year

42.4%

While CEO

21.1%

S&P 500

5.0%

2013 P/E

18.6

5-Yr. Profit Growth

12.5%

Warren Buffett

Berkshire Hathaway, CEO since 1965

Why: A brilliant value creator for almost 50 years.

Buffett's creation is one of the great achievements in business history. Investors fortunate enough to have gone along for the ride have enjoyed an 8,000-fold rise in the stock price since 1965. Berkshire is now the fourth-largest company in the market, with a capitalization exceeding $250 billion.

Buffett continues to do things in his own way. He hates meetings, and gives free rein to the managers of Berkshire Hathaway's 80-plus subsidiaries. At 82, his talents look undiminished.

Burlington Northern could be worth 50% more than what Berkshire paid for the railroad in 2010. Buffett's $5 billion investment in 2011 in Bank of America preferred stock already is generating big returns due to equity warrants. It's a good bet Buffett will be at the helm in 2015 for his 50th anniversary as CEO. That would be great news for investors.

-- A.B.

Berkshire Hathaway Annualized Total Return

Annualized Total Return

One Year

29.4%

While CEO

21.0%

S&P 500

9.4%

2013 P/E

17.7

5-Yr. Profit Growth

4.1%

Morris Chang

Taiwan Semiconductor, CEO since 1987

Why: Built Taiwan's largest company, with a market value of $88 billion.

Chang, 81, is the soul of efficiency. The MIT grad, who cut his teeth as an engineer at Texas Instruments, built the first semiconductor foundry in 1987, freeing designers to focus on smaller, faster, and more complex chips, rather than production. Today, Taiwan Semi controls half of the $39.3 billion market for contract chip-manufacturing.

Plenty of opportunity lies ahead, as smartphone and tablet-computer makers create ever more powerful devices to connect with the Internet. Chang plans to spend a record $9 billion this year on new fabrication plants to make tiny chips for mobile devices.

Despite his fame, the dean of Taiwan's booming tech sector remains down-to-earth. He takes mass transit to avoid traffic; a photo of him sitting on the train went viral last year.

-- Leslie P. Norton

Taiwan Semiconductor Annualized Total Return

One Year

33.6%

While CEO

17.7%

S&P 500

8.9%

2013 P/E

15.0

5-Yr. Profit Growth

9.4%

Ed Clark

TD Bank Group, CEO since 2002

Why: His risk aversion has kept TD strong and healthy.

TDBank emerged from the financial crisis as one of the world's strongest big banks. Clark's insistence on strict mortgage-underwriting standards and an obsessive customer focus have helped drive results.

TD refused to issue subprime mortgages after entering the U.S. market in 2005. "We understand risk," says Clark, 65. "We're not going to be a bank that blows up every five to seven years."

Branches are open seven days a week and offer treats for depositors and their pets. Clark recognized that TD couldn't compete with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan in U.S. investment banking, and unlike some foreign banks, didn't waste money trying.

TD Bank Group Annualized Total Return

One Year

4.7%

While CEO

17.9%

S&P 500

7.7%

2013 P/E

10.8

5-Yr. Profit Growth

6.6%

David Cote

Honeywell, CEO since 2002

Why: Repaired and revved up Honeywell's engine.

At Honeywell, the runway is long and the tail winds are strong. There has been no letup on the throttle since Cote came on board in 2002, masterfully remaking a money-losing mishmash of businesses into a profitable leader in technology and manufacturing. "The trick is in the doing," as he likes to say.

Honeywell's stock responded, and the financial picture keeps improving. The company's sales and earnings are on the rise, despite an outlook for sluggish growth in the global economy.

For Cote, 60, a man with more than 10,000 songs on his iPod, the music never stops. Now he has become a power player in Washington, too, working to fix the nation's budget woes.

-- Sandra Ward

Honeywell Annualized Total Return

One Year

20.3%

While CEO

8.4%

S&P 500

5.0%

2013 P/E

14.2

5-Yr. Profit Growth

7.2%

Jamie Dimon

JPMorgan Chase, CEO since 2006

Why: Savvy leader of the world's most important bank.

As the world's leading banker, Dimon is a forceful advocate for his company and much-maligned industry. He defends size, saying multinational clients need the broad array of services that only big global banks can provide.

JPMorgan Chase emerged from the financial crisis as the world's most important bank. It now has top positions in consumer and corporate banking, credit cards, investment banking, and asset management.

A recent Senate report criticized the bank's handling of $6 billion in trading losses last year. Dimon, 57, should have moved more quickly to contain the losses, which he called a "stupid error" and "embarrassing personally." JPMorgan expects to earn $7 a share in the next few years, up from about $5 in 2012. That could lessen the sting of the so-called London Whale fiasco.

-- A.B.

JPMorgan Chase Annualized Total Return

One Year

28.4%

While CEO

5.4%

S&P 500

4.6%

2013 P/E

8.9

5-Yr. Profit Growth

3.5%

Warren East

ARM Holdings, CEO since 2001

Why: Intel who? Put ARM chips in nearly every smartphone.

ARM Holdings microprocessors run almost all the world's smartphones and many other mobile devices. Now the company is looking to outmaneuver Intel in servers, too. ARM's competitive strength owes much to East's steady leadership. When he steps down this summer—his retirement was announced last week -- he'll be leaving the company in fighting trim.

East, 51, an Oxford graduate, left Texas Instruments to join ARM in 1994 to set up its consulting business. He should have no trouble keeping busy: He enjoys skiing, dinghy sailing, and running, and has completed a marathon in under three hours, a major achievement. He is proud of his Welsh heritage, and plays the organ in his local church.

-- Jonathan Buck

ARM Holdings Annualized Total Return

One Year

56.6%

While CEO

10.5%

S&P 500

5.3%

2013 P/E

51.0

5-Yr. Profit Growth

29.0%

Larry Ellison

Oracle, CEO since 1977

As he often does, the brazen Silicon Valley veteran generated big headlines last year, paying about $500 million to buy Lanai, Hawaii's sixth-largest island. He followed up with the purchase of Island Air, the state's island hopper. It's the kind of connective deal that Ellison has been making for years at Oracle, his enterprise-software giant.

The deals have helped make Oracle the most profitable company in the software industry, with earnings approaching $10 billion last year. Its success is a testament to founder Ellison, 68, who has kept the company relevant for four decades.

Oracle was slow to embrace cloud computing, one reason for last week's quarterly revenue miss. Now Ellison is pushing to make up for lost time. Almost all of the company's 12 acquisitions in the past year were focused on cloud services.

-- Alexander Eule

Oracle Annualized Total Return

One Year

17.9%

While CEO

25.7%

S&P 500

9.7%

2013 P/E

12.7

5-Yr. Profit Growth

19.5%

José AntonioFernández Carbajal

Fomento Economico Mexicano, CEO since 1995

Why: Civic-minded visionary built a Latin beverage behemoth.

During Fernández's tenure, FEMSA has grown from a $1.2 billion Mexican beverage company into a $36 billion Latin American powerhouse. It operates the world's largest Coca-Cola bottler and the region's fastest-growing retailer, the Oxxo convenience-store chain.

When it became clear that global giants were transforming the beer industry, this pragmatist sold the beer business that his wife's family founded in 1890, to Heineken, in a lucrative deal that gave FEMSA a 20% stake.

As a child, Fernández was called Diablo, a common nickname for hyperactive kids. He still has energy to spare. After two FEMSA security guards were killed in a drug shootout, he sought new ways to make the city of Monterrey safer, focusing more on community and social programs to improve prospects for youth. He also teaches an engineering course at his alma mater, the Tecnológico de Monterrey.

-- Reshma Kapadia

Fomento Economico Mexicano Annualized Total Return

One Year

51.6%

While CEO

22.8%

S&P 500

8.7%

2013 P/E

24.9

5-Yr. Profit Growth

14.6%

Larry Fink

BlackRock, CEO since 1988

Why: This markets maven built the world's biggest money manager.

Equities are the place to be. When Fink, a former bond trader who co-founded BlackRock 25 years ago as a bond investment firm, makes such pronouncements, it's time to listen. Today, his firm is the world's biggest money manager, overseeing $3.8 trillion in fixed income, equities, and alternatives, including real estate and hedge funds. It acquired the iShares exchange-traded-fund franchise in 2009.

Fink, 60, has been spending time lately thinking about building BlackRock's brand, particularly in retail channels around the world. A consultant to central bankers, politicians, and other power players, he was rumored to be leaving Wall Street for the Obama administration, but that didn't happen. "I can't think of a better place to provide advice than from my seat at BlackRock," he says.

-- Lawrence C. Strauss

BlackRock Annualized Total Return

Annualized Total Return

One Year

24.9%

While CEO

25.3%

S&P 500

3.2%

2013 P/E

15.5

5-Yr. Profit Growth

10.8%

Hugh Grant

Monsanto, CEO since 2003

Why: Monsanto's shares are up tenfold in his 10 years at the helm.

Scottish-born Grant may have earned a degree in molecular biology and zoology, but his job at Monsanto demands an understanding of politics, negotiating tactics, and weather patterns.

The world's leading developer of genetically modified seeds, Monsanto is expanding aggressively in South America, boosting growth in the first quarter when U.S. sales tend to be weak. Grant plans to roll out drought-tolerant corn this year -- well timed after last year's devastating drought -- which will help to push sales and profits to record levels.

Having successfully faced down an attempt in California last year to require labeling of genetically modified food, Grant now faces similar opposition from supermarket chain Whole Foods. Giving no quarter, he recently called GMOs "the most-tested food product that the world has ever seen."

-- Avi Salzman

Monsanto Annualized Total Return

Annualized Total Return

One Year

32.6%

While CEO

28.4%

S&P 500

6.9%

2013 P/E

22.1

5-Yr. Profit Growth

13.3%

Nick Hayek

Swatch Group, CEO since 2003

Why: Dominates the watch industry. Tripled earnings in 10 years.

Hayek went to film school in Paris and ran his own production company before joining the family business in 1994. His father built Swatch in the 1980s, when the Swiss watchmaking industry was on its knees, and is widely regarded as its savior. But Hayek, 58, deserves credit for expanding Swatch through retail outlets, slick marketing, and acquisitions. In January, he added jeweler Harry Winston to a portfolio that includes luxe brands like Omega, Blancpain, and Breguet.

At a recent earnings presentation, Hayek was combative with analysts and investors while puffing on a fat cigar. Given the stock's returns, no one can accuse him of blowing smoke.

-- J.B.

Swatch Group Annualized Total Return

One Year

27.6%

While CEO

22.6%

S&P 500

8.0%

2013 P/E

16.3

5-Yr. Profit Growth

9.7%

Pablo Isla

Inditex, CEO since 2005

Why: Took Spain's fashionable Zara stores global.

Isla, 49, succeeded Amancio Ortega Gaona, founder of Spain's Inditex, in 2005. He earns plaudits for ramping up the international rollout of the company's Zara retail chain and other Inditex brands, and has been opening new stores at a rate of 500 a year. Last year, Inditex opened its 6,000th store.

An exemplar of "fast fashion," Zara takes designs from sketchbook to store floor in just a few weeks. This puts the retailer on the cutting edge of fashion, and low-cost manufacturing keeps expenses down.

Isla hasn't altered the Inditex culture. Based in Arteixo, a small town in northwest Spain, the company doesn't advertise, and its executives won't give on-the-record interviews. A lawyer by training, Isla was general director of state assets at Spain's Ministry of Economy and Finance earlier in his career. Bet he doesn't miss that job now.

-- J.B.

Inditex Annualized Total Return

One Year

46.7%

While CEO

25.7%

S&P 500

5.1%

2013 P/E

23.8

5-Yr. Profit Growth

13.5%

Ma Huateng

Tencent, CEO since 1997

Why: His instant-message services have attracted over a billion users.

When a rumor about Ma's death hit the blogosphere in February, it was probably read tens of millions of times before the founder and CEO of Tencent, China's largest Internet service provider, jumped on weibo, Tencent's popular microblogging service, and proclaimed himself very much alive. It's not hard to understand how the rumor spread.

Shenzhen-based Tencent owns the QQ instant-messaging platform, with a user base of 798 million. The company's WeChat mobile-messaging app, introduced in January 2011, already has more than 300 million users, and some see it growing to 500 million this year.

Known as Pony -- his given name literally means horse -- Ma has galloped into the top ranks of China's wealthiest. This year, the ambitious 41-year- old is expected to expand WeChat in the U.S.

-- L.P.N.

Tencent Annualized Total Return

One Year

34.0%

While CEO

61.9%

S&P 500

5.5%

2013 P/E

24.5

5-Yr. Profit Growth

50.7%

Carol Meyrowitz

TJX, CEO since 2007

Why: The queen of off-price retailing runs a tight ship.

It's not easy hiding in plain sight while leading a major U.S. retailer, but Meyrowitz, who refuses press interviews, has managed the trick. She has also perfected others. Frequently changing assortments of discounted designer goods keep customers coming back to T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, and other TJX chains, producing a profit windfall for the Framingham, Mass.-based company.

Meyrowitz, 59, got her start as an assistant buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue, and joined TJX in 1983. She led the company successfully through the recession, opening stores and taking market share.

Next, she aims to boost annual sales to $40 billion from a current $26 billion, by speeding store openings in the U.S. and abroad, jumping into e-commerce, and targeting younger shoppers.

-- Christopher C. Williams

TJX Annualized Total Return

Annualized Total Return

One Year

22.9%

While CEO

21.7%

S&P 500

3.1%

2013 P/E

16.0

5-Yr. Profit Growth

21.6%

Leslie Moonves

CBS, CEO since 2006

Why: Resuscitated CBS and made network TV relevant again.

If someone were to pitch Moonves, 63, an idea for a winning television show based on his life, the story line might go something like this: Actor-turned-TV-executive rises to the top of a big entertainment company just when the pundits have written off traditional TV programming and news. Not only does he make good but he also makes shareholders a bundle.

That's pretty much the way the script has played out since Moonves became CEO of CBS after its 2006 spinoff from Viacom. He has shown an eye for creative talent, as well as programming with global appeal. He also loves the art of the deal.

Moonves' rich pay package -- $70 million in cash, plus stock, for the four years ending in June 2017 -- has drawn criticism. "Clearly, my board thinks I'm of value to the company," he says.

-- Robin Goldwyn Blumenthal

CBS Annualized Total Return

One Year

46.4%

While CEO

10.5%

S&P 500

4.6%

2013 P/E

14.5

5-Yr. Profit Growth

6.3%

Alan Mulally

Ford, CEO since 2006

Why: Rescued Ford from the brink, then hit the gas pedal.

Mulally took Ford from a $17 billion loss in 2006 to a $5.7 billion profit last year, without so much as a penny from Uncle Sam. Along the way, he right-sized production to a recessionary market, cut costs, and planned new vehicle models. Ford regained an investment-grade credit rating, and did we mention, it doubled its dividend?

For an encore, the 67-year-old CEO must groom a successor -- the smart money's on Ford COO Mark Fields -- before retiring, likely after 2014. He also needs to lift production to meet rising U.S. demand, and reinvigorate Ford's upmarket but moribund Lincoln brand, while avoiding recalls of the sort that recently dogged the company's Escape and Fusion models. He also has to win new customers in Asia.

Given Ford's performance so far, the betting is that Mulally will drive it home.

-- V.J.R.

Ford Annualized Total Return

One Year

5.2%

While CEO

7.6%

S&P 500

4.2%

2013 P/E

9.0

5-Yr. Profit Growth

18.2%

David Novak

Yum! Brands, CEO since 2000

Why: Made U.S. fast food a huge hit in China.

The Chinese market is notoriously tough for big companies to crack. Just ask Home Depot and Best Buy, which tried and gave up. Yum! Brands is a happy exception. Novak shrewdly repositioned its KFC unit as an upscale restaurant catering to Chinese tastes, with spicy chicken and breakfast porridge on the menu.

China is the main reason for Yum's 11 straight years of 13%-plus earnings growth, although the company recently came under fire there after publicity about chicken from local suppliers that contained excessive amounts of antibiotics. Yum! responded by upgrading its supplier network.

Novak's leadership ideas, collected in a book, Taking People With You, include thinking big, showing vulnerability, recognizing even modest achievements, and dumping malcontents.

-- A.B.

Yum! Brands Annualized Total Return

Annualized Total Return

One Year

1.1%

While CEO

19.8%

S&P 500

2.6%

2013 P/E

20.9

5-Yr. Profit Growth

14.1%

Michael O'Leary

Ryanair, CEO since 1994

Why: Found blue skies above Europe, despite turbulence below.

O'Leary, one of Ireland's leading racehorse owners, likes to breed winners. In Ryanair, he has created what looks like a sure thing: a low-cost carrier that has become one of Europe's biggest airlines. Ryanair offers "no frills" service with quick airport-turnaround times, and charges for extras from baggage to in-flight refreshments.

Ryanair's business model has helped it survive and thrive amid Europe's prolonged economic downturn. In the past five years, strong earnings growth has enabled the company to return more than 1.5 billion euros ($1.94 billion) to shareholders.

O'Leary, 52, who often wears rugby jerseys and jeans, was an accountant at KPMG before joining the fledgling carrier more than 20 years ago. He is abrasive and confrontational, and a hardball negotiator who will walk away rather than give in.

-- J.B.

Ryanair Annualized Total Return

One Year

43.8%

While CEO

18.7%

S&P 500

5.6%

2013 P/E

14.9

5-Yr. Profit Growth

5.5%

Larry Page

Google, CEO since 2011

Why: Google's market value is up $100 billion on his watch.

The nerd who co-founded Google 15 years ago is turning out to be far savvier than anyone gave him credit for. Page, who turns 40 on Tuesday, has ruthlessly cut Google's side projects to focus on building revenue. YouTube, thought to be folly when the company paid $1.65 billion for it in 2006, is expected to rack up $4.5 billion in sales this year, and mobile advertising via its Android operating system could bring in $6 billion.

But Page's biggest bet is last year's $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility, which pits it against Android's biggest customer, Samsung Electronics. Expect a slick new Google phone to heat up the smartphone wars by year end.

In a sign of Page's seriousness, he even canceled his 13-year-old newsletter on Google tips and tricks. Investors get the picture.

-- Tiernan Ray

Google Annualized Total Return

Annualized Total Return

One Year

29.6%

While CEO

23.4%

S&P 500

8.3%

2013 P/E

17.6

5-Yr. Profit Growth

20.6%

Norbert Reithofer

BMW, CEO since 2006

Why: Delivers a smooth ride on a boulder-strewn road.

The unflappable CEO of the world's biggest premium car maker has deftly negotiated some nasty economic turns since 2008. BMW sold 1.85 million cars last year, up 11% from 2011, and expects to have even higher unit sales in 2013.

The future will be no picnic, however. In addition to Europe's woes, the Munich-based sports-car maker must meet tighter emissions rules while still building cars that offer "sheer driving pleasure." BMW also must fend off hard-charging competitors like Audi. The company's famous cost flexibility will help, especially as Reithofer makes a big and risky bet on the BMW i series of electric cars.

A mountain biker and trained engineer from Bavaria, Reithofer isn't half as exciting as his cars. But shareholders don't mind, so long as he keeps up the financial joy ride.

-- V.J.R.

BMW Annualized Total Return

One Year

2.1%

While CEO

10.9%

S&P 500

4.2%

2013 P/E

9.1

5-Yr. Profit Growth

10.2%

Howard Schultz

Starbucks, CEO since 2008

Why: Revolutionized what America means by coffee.

Starbucks serves about 70 million customers a week at more than 18,000 owned and franchised stores in 62 countries. Yet Schultz, who built the company, ran it from 1987 to 2000, and returned as CEO in 2008, keeps the brand as fresh as your morning joe. An inspirational leader with a rags-to-riches personal tale, he brought Europe's coffee culture to the U.S., and now hopes to take it to Asia.

With Starbucks' recent purchase of the Teavana chain, he proclaims, "We will do for tea what we've done for coffee." Among other things, that could include further enriching investors, whose shares have returned 700% since late 2008.

Starbucks offers generous benefits to employees, whom it calls partners. The company's investment in Square, a mobile-payments platform, has added a shot of hipster cool to its buzzing cafes.

-- R.G.B.

Starbucks Annualized Total Return

One Year

13.8%

While CEO

24.4%

S&P 500

8.7%

2013 P/E

26.6

5-Yr. Profit Growth

15.5%

David Simon

Simon Property Group, CEO since 1995

Why: A real-estate whiz who knows his malls.

Shrewd acquisitions and development projects have transformed Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group from a regional-mall operator into the world's largest real-estate company, with a $50 billion market value and market-shellacking returns. For that, investors can thank Simon, who has run the company founded by his father and uncle since he was 33.

The sluggish global economy curtailed growth in FedEx's global air network, but its ground-delivery service has taken off. In the fiscal year that ends in May, FedEx Ground will likely chip in 24% of the company's $45 billion in revenue, and 60% of its profits.

Smith got his pilot's license at 15 and flew on reconnaissance missions in Vietnam -- and at 68, he still isn't sitting still. His latest mission: to boost pre-tax profits 55%, to a record $4.8 billion, in three years by consolidating facilities, restructuring staff, and purchasing fuel-efficient aircraft. Don't bet against him.

-- L.C.S.

FedEx Annualized Total Return

One Year

16.6%

While CEO

15.2%

S&P 500

8.4%

2013 P/E

16.6

5-Yr. Profit Growth

-0.2%

Lars Sorensen

Novo Nordisk, CEO since 2000

Why: Turned the Danish drug maker into a diabetes powerhouse.

Novo Nordisk's CEO knows a lot about endurance. A passionate cyclist who bikes to work in the Copenhagen suburbs, Sorensen transformed a little-known Danish drug maker into the world's largest diabetes-care company, with 26% of the market.

It wasn't an easy ride. After several failed attempts, the company finally established a presence in the U.S., the world's biggest pharma market, a decade ago. Nordisk also built a global production base, and a strong footprint in emerging markets.

Sorensen, CEO since 2000, presided over some critical decisions in the lab, too, including a decision to focus on protein-based treatments such as insulin. The launch of a key new diabetes drug has been delayed in the U.S., however, due to regulatory concerns.

The boss pedals for the cause, in races like the 105-mile Ride to Cure Diabetes, in Death Valley, Calif.

-- J.B.

Novo Nordisk Annualized Total Return

Annualized Total Return

One Year

23.1%

While CEO

21.4%

S&P 500

3.1%

2013 P/E

21.6

5-Yr. Profit Growth

23.6%

Miles White

Abbott Laboratories, CEO since 1999

Why: Consistently finds the right Rx for growth.

During White's 14 years as CEO, Abbott has been the envy of much of the drug industry, with its consistent earnings growth and excellent shareholder returns. To unlock even more value, White got board approval to split the company in two.

The separation, which took effect on Jan. 1, created AbbVie, the branded pharmaceutical business, and Abbott Labs, which sells diagnostic products, coronary stents, and infant formula. The breakup was risky because AbbVie depends largely on Humira, an arthritis treatment with $9 billion of annual sales.

White, 58, who is leading the new Abbott, speaks often about the need for "balance." It isn't only about making money for shareholders, he says, but also "doing the right thing" for employees, health-care providers, and patients.

-- A.B.

Abbott Laboratories Annualized Total Return

One Year

28.3%

While CEO

5.7%

S&P 500

3.4%

2013 P/E

16.8

5-Yr. Profit Growth

12.3%

Tadashi Yanai

Fast Retailing, CEO since 1984

Why: His stylish basics transcend borders.

Yanai, 64, the founder of Fast Retailing, grew up in a traditional Japanese household, where he was taught to fear only "earthquake, fire, and Father." So, when told to work in his dad's small menswear shop, he obeyed. It proved a smart move on every level.

When Japan grew obsessed with designer labels in the 1980s, Yanai seized the chance to start producing inexpensive, well-made basics. Today, his global apparel empire clothes both the masses and the classes, and is anchored by more than 1,000 Uniqlo stores, which focus on fastidiously minimalist basics in multiple hues. Fast also has purchased tonier labels such as Helmut Lang and Theory.

When retailers downsized after the financial crisis, Japan's richest man expanded. He hopes to make Uniqlo ubiquitous one day, just like Coca-Cola.

-- Kopin Tan

Fast Retailing Annualized Total Return

One Year

34.2%

While CEO

19.0%

S&P 500

8.7%

2013 P/E

29.1

5-Yr. Profit Growth

17.7%

Yang Yuanqing

Lenovo, CEO since 2009

Why: Devouring market share in PCs.

Lenovo's CEO is a native of Hefei city, home to some famed warriors in ancient China. Perhaps that's why his "protect and attack" strategy on behalf of the world's largest computer maker has worked so well. The company, which bought IBM's PC business in 2005, has boosted profits in more-mature developing markets, including China, while ruthlessly winning share in the emerging world and vanquishing rivals like Hewlett-Packard and Dell. Now Lenovo is gunning for Apple and Samsung, with PC Plus devices to connect to the 'Net.

Born in 1964, the Year of the Dragon in Chinese astrology, Yang has Dragon attributes that serve Lenovo well. Dragons are great computer analysts, inventors, PR people, and politicians. Last year, this master politician made a popular -- and populist -- move, giving $3 million of his $5.2 million bonus to employees.